He may not be in the NFL MVP race, but Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams should be among the favorites for another noteworthy annual award.
Is there any good reason why Adams isn’t the current front runner for NFL Offensive Player of the Year?
Often, the most productive quarterback wins OPOY. But just last year, New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas won the award after a record-breaking season as a pass-catcher. Maybe, the receiver position is slowly gaining momentum in these important annual awards.
Adams is having a season for the ages despite missing two games to injury.
Through 10 games, Adams has 84 catches, 1,029 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s third in the NFL in catches, fifth in receiving yards and tied for first in receiving touchdowns. He’s also first in catches per game (8.4) and receiving yards per game (102.9).
Last season, Thomas averaged 9.3 catches per game and 107.8 receiving yards per game.
If Adams stays at his current pace for the next four games, he’ll finish the 2020 season with 117 catches, 1,440 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Only four times in NFL history has a player caught 18 or more touchdown passes in a season. None of the previous four also had over 100 catches.
The number of players with at least 100 catches, 1,400 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in a single season? Just three: Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss. So Adams is entering rare air at the wide receiver position.
He has strong competition for the award. Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes are having incredible seasons and appear to be the two front runners for MVP, giving them a strong chance to also win OPOY. Like Adams, Tyreek Hill has over 1,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches (in two more games played). D.K. Metcalf is first in receiving yards. Alvin Kamara is gaining yards and scoring touchdowns as a runner and receiver. Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook are having ultra-productive seasons as runners.
But there’s no denying what Adams has accomplished through 13 weeks. He has a touchdown catch in seven straight games, tying Don Hutson’s team record. He has five 100-yard receiving games. He has four games with 10 or more catches. He’s first in the NFL in yards per route run and the only qualified receiver currently at three yards or more in the metric. Only twice in 10 games has he been held without a score. He’s third in the NFL in total touchdowns.
There’s a strong case for Adams as the NFL’s best receiver in 2020. In fact, he’s the top-rated receiver by overall grade at Pro Football Focus.
A prolific receiver and touchdown maker for the NFL’s top-scoring offense should be the front runner – or, at least, one of the favorites – for OPOY entering the final four games of 2020.
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